Page 26 of Twice as Tempting

“Can I give you my opinion?”

“By all means.”

“Stop wasting your time on Ken when you know that you’d rather go out with Damian tonight.”

“Well, it’s too late for that. It would be rude of me to cancel on Ken. Besides, I can go out with Damian another time.”

“Ok, but Damian’s not going to chase after you forever. The man has his pride.”

“I know.”

They went on to talk about store-related things, but when Kelly hung up, her thoughts returned to Damian. Why did he have to ask her out tonight of all nights? It wouldn’t be fair to cancel on Ken again, although she was considering it when Mrs. Simmons reappeared at the counter.

“He’s the one,” she said. “The Adonis I was talking about.”

“Yes. He’s the one,” Kelly said.

Just before the end of her work day, Kelly made up her mind. She dialed Ken’s number and tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for him to pick up. When he didn’t answer, she was somewhat relieved, but then she had to explain to his voicemail why she couldn’t go out with him. In the end, she left a rambling message apologizing for the last-minute cancellation and for leading him on. She mentioned that there was someone else but didn’t go into details. When she hung up, she felt a twinge of guilt but decided that honesty was the best policy.

Her next call was to Damian, but he didn’t answer either. Instead of leaving a message, she decided to try and catch him at home. When Kelly pulled into the parking lot and saw his empty parking space, she swore. She had just gone from having two potential dates to having none. Maybe I’m being punished for cancelling on Ken.

And then it struck her that Zack and Emma might know where Damian was.

“It’s your lucky day,” Emma said a few minutes later. “Damian and Zack are having a beer at Clarkston Tap. They just left a little bit ago.”

Kelly breathed a sigh of relief. At least Damian wasn’t out with another woman.

She hurriedly changed from her work clothes into something a bit more provocative. Her loose dress pants were exchanged for a snug-fitting pair of skinny jeans, and the conservative blouse got traded in for a silky tank top. She removed the elastic ponytail holder and let her hair fall in soft waves down her back. Shiny gold hoop earrings took the place of her demure diamond studs, and out came the strappy black sandals with the four-inch heels. A fresh coat of mascara and a swipe of lip gloss, and she was ready to go.

Kelly hadn’t given much thought to what she would say to Damian—she just knew that she wanted to see him. She squelched the flutter of nerves in her belly while she parked her Jetta, and then she walked into Clarkston Tap. The place was a small bar/restaurant that catered primarily to the locals. Kelly had only been there one other time, and that was with Damian months ago. The low-key, simplistic vibe suited his personality perfectly…and there he was, a standout (along with his brother) among the crowd of men who were seated around the bar.

Several pairs of eyes turned her way as Kelly made her way over to him, but she barely noticed. Damian and Zack were watching sports on one of the overhead television screens, but it was almost as if Damian sensed her presence. He swiveled around on the bar stool and locked eyes with her, the corners of his lips turning up in a wide, sexy grin.

Her nerves instantly vanished when she saw his reaction, and she returned his welcoming smile.

Zack finally noticed the shift of his brother’s attention, and he turned to greet Kelly as she approached.

“Hey. Look who’s here! Did you come to relieve me?” Zack teased.

Damian gave him a playful shove. “Hey, I was doing you a favor, not the other way around!”

Zack hopped off his stool and offered it to Kelly. “I warmed it up for you,” he said.

Just then, a waitress came over and asked for Kelly’s drink order. She ordered a Coors Light and then turned her attention to Damian.

“Hi,” she said playfully.

“Hi, yourself,” he said.

Zack cleared his throat noisily. “You know what? I’m going to let you two do…whatever it is that you two do, and I’m going home to my soon-to-be wife.”

“Don’t let me chase you away,” Kelly said, but she didn’t sound very convincing.

“No worries. Damian and I had just about used up our allotment of words to each other anyway.”

Damian smirked and took a long slug of beer.

“Tell Emma I said thank you,” Kelly said.